Born on 10th July 1929 in the Egyptian village of Toshka, near Wadi Halfa, he originally trained to be an electrical engineer. El Din changed direction and began to study music at the Cairo University, continuing his studies at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. His performances attracted the attention of the Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan in the 1960s, which led to a recording contract and to his eventual emigration to the United States. Like much of Egyptian Nubia, his home village of Toshka was flooded due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s, creating in El Din a drive to preserve and promote his culture.
His 1968 recording Escalay: the Water Wheel was claimed as an influence by some American minimalist composers, such as Steve Reich and Terry Riley. He performed with the Kronos Quartet.
El Din held a number of teaching positions in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s, eventually settling in the San Francisco Bay Area. He died on 22nd May 2006 at the age of seventy-six, after complications following surgery for a gallbladder infection at a hospital in Berkeley, California. He is survived by his wife, Nabra.
* Official site
Mwashah
Hamza El Din Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
لما بدا يتسنى
آمان، آمان
آمان، آمان
حِبي جمالو فَتّني
آمان، آمان، آمان آمان
لما بيلحظه أثرني
لما بيلحظه أثرني
غُصنٌ سنا حينما
آمان، آمان، آمان، آمان
وَعّدي ويا حَيرَتي
وَعّدي ويا حَيرَتي
ما لي رَحيم في شَكوَتي في الحُبّ من لَوعَتي إلى مالحي الجَمال
آمان، آمان، آمان، آمان
حِبّي جمالو فَتني
آمان، آمان، آمان، آمان
In Hamza El Din's song Mwashah, the lyrics describe the intense feelings of love and admiration for someone's beauty. The lyrics repeat the phrase "Aman, Aman," which is an Arabic phrase used to express distress or longing. The singer is enamored with the object of their affection to the point of being enraptured by their beauty. The line "لما بدا يتسنى" is translated to "when he appears in front of me," showing the singer's anticipation and eagerness to be near the one they love.
The second verse describes the impact that the sight of the beloved has on the singer. The phrase "لما بيلحظه أثرني" is translated to "when he looks at me, he leaves an impression." This illustrates the depth of the singer's emotion and how their lover's gaze can affect them so deeply. The metaphor of the branch also appears in the lyrics, with the line "غُصنٌ سنا حينما" meaning "a branch shining brightly." The branch symbolizes the loved one, whose beauty is shining and radiant.
Line by Line Meaning
لما بدا يتسنى
When the clearness started to appear
آمان، آمان
Peace, peace
حِبي جمالو فَتّني
My love, his beauty caused me to be infatuated
آمان، آمان، آمان آمان
Peace, peace, peace, peace
لما بيلحظه أثرني
When he glances at me, it affects me
آمان، آمان، آمان، آمان
Peace, peace, peace, peace
غُصنٌ سنا حينما
A branch that shines in the moment
آمان، آمان، آمان، آمان
Peace, peace, peace, peace
وَعّدي ويا حَيرَتي
Promise me, O my confusion
ما لي رَحيم في شَكوَتي في الحُبّ من لَوعَتي إلى مالحي الجَمال
I have no mercy in my complaint about love, from my pain to the saltiness of beauty
آمان، آمان، آمان، آمان
Peace, peace, peace, peace
حِبّي جمالو فَتني
My love, his beauty caused me to be infatuated
آمان، آمان، آمان، آمان
Peace, peace, peace, peace
Contributed by Carter C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.